Texas Senate Passes Abortion Bill

Texas Senate Passes Abortion Bill

Texas Democrats vowed to fight one of the most restrictive abortion
bills in the nation passed by the state legislature late Friday in front
of more than 2,000 protesters.

"There will be a lawsuit. I promise you," Dallas Sen. Royce West said
on the Senate floor, raising his right hand as if taking an oath.

Democrats offered 20 amendments to the bill, which will ban abortions after 20 weeks,
require abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at a nearby
hospital and require all abortions to take place in surgical centers.
They ranged from exceptions for rape and incest to allowing doctors more
leeway in prescribing abortion-inducing drugs. But Republicans would
have none of it.

The Republican majority passed the bill unchanged just before midnight with all but one Democrat voting against it.

The bill has sparked protests across Texas with thousands of abortion
rights supporters flooding the Capitol to draw out committee hearings
and disrupting key votes. Protesters finished a filibuster started by
Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis of Fort Worth by jeering for the last 15
minutes of the first special session, effectively killing the bill.

That's when Texas Gov. Rick Perry called lawmakers back for round
two. But opponents say the fight is far from over and used the popular
anger to register and organize Democratic voters.

"Let's make sure that tonight is not an ending point. It's a
beginning point for our future, our collective futures, as we work to
take this state back," Davis told supporters after the bill passed.

Friday's debate took place between a packed gallery of demonstrators
with anti-abortion activists wearing blue and abortion-rights supporters
wearing orange. Security was tight, and state troopers reported
confiscating bottles of urine and feces as they worked to prevent
another attempt to stop the Republicans from passing the proposal.

Four women who tried to chain themselves to a railing in the gallery
were arrested. One woman was successful in chaining herself, prompting a
10-minute recess.

Outside the chamber, the crowd grew so loud that troopers were being
issued orange earplugs. Protesters were shouting, "Shame! Shame! Shame!"
as senators gave their closing statements.

State troopers reported confiscating "significant quantities" of
tampons and feminine pads from protesters before they were allowed in,
according to MyFoxDFW.com. Bottles of suspected urine, feces and paint
were also confiscated.